I Cant
by Only-eyes-for-Riddick
Summary: Companion piece to Everything I Do. Akane has been off at school for two years and has now returned with a surprise that shocks all.


**I don't own Ranma 1/2.**

**This is a companion piece to another one-shot, Everything I Do. I would suggest reading that first although either could be read at any point I suppose. I hope this is as good as the other, and please...no flames.**

Akane looked up at the home she hadn't seen for two years. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at the familiar sign, "Tendo School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts."

"So this is your home?" Jeremy said. Akane turned to look at the man who had stolen her heart. She loved him, so much so that she agreed to marry him. But looking at him here, in her own hometown. She couldn't help but think about the man she left behind.

She couldn't help but think about Ranma.

Were things still as crazy as they once were, with Ranma's other fiancés all causing trouble to get the others out of the way and Ranma trying to keep them all from killing each other. Were Ryoga and Kuno still around causing trouble? The few letters she had received had been written by Nabiki and didn't contain much information other than everything was fine and asking how she was.

Akane smiled at Jeremy and nodded. "This is it. My home and hopefully my future dojo. I do so love it here."

Jeremy smiled before placing his hands on her shoulders. "Come on then," he said. "I think it's time to be introduced to your family."

Akane nodded before picking up a couple suitcases and started towards the door of her old home. Jeremy followed behind with his own set of suitcases. She opened the door and stepped inside with Jeremy right behind her. They set their suitcases down, removed their shoes, and started into the house.

"Dad! Nabiki! Where are you guys?"

Seconds later, Akane was engulfed in the arms of her father. "Oh, Akane. You have returned to us. I thought that…" he paused as he noticed Jeremy behind her. "Akane, who is this man?"

Akane smiled at her father before wrapping her arm around Jeremy's waist. "Father, this is my fiancé, Jeremy."

Soun just stood there in shock. "What about Ranma?"

Akane narrowed her eyes. "What are you talking about?"

Before Soun could say another word, Nabiki and Kuno came down the stairs and Nabiki pulled Akane into a hug.

"Akane, welcome home," she said. Nabiki pulled back and smiled, before her eyes landed on Jeremy and the smile faded into confusion.

"Who's this Akane?"

Akane was equally confused. Surely Ranma… "This is my fiancé, Jeremy."

Nabiki looked from Jeremy to Akane before smiling and offering Jeremy her hand. "Welcome to our home Jeremy." Kuno walked up behind Nabiki and placed a hand on her shoulder. "This is my boyfriend Tatewaki Kuno, but we just call him Kuno."

Jeremy held out his hand. "Nice to meet you."

Akane was smiling slightly now. Everything was going great. Now all she had to do was find out why her father was asking her about Ranma.

"Tendo, what is all the noise about?"

Akane's smile faded as she saw Genma Saotome enter from the other room. He looked at Akane and then at the strange man standing next to her. Apparently explanations were in order.

They walked into the other room and took a seat around the table. Nabiki said she had something to do and rushed off. Akane looked across the table at her father and Mr. Saotome.

"I'm guessing that you want an explanation for Jeremy and my 'sudden' engagement?"

Both Soun and Genma nodded and Akane opened her mouth to speak when a very sweaty Ranma burst into the room, dressed in black training clothes.

The first thing Akane thought when she saw him was that two years apart had done wonders for him. Ranma was always good-looking and muscular, but at this very moment, he looked so much better. Nabiki came in behind him.

"Oh, Ranma, I found you," she said drawing everyone else's attention to Ranma as well. Nabiki grabbed his arm and pulled him into the room a little more. "Ranma, don't you want to say hi to Akane and her fiancé Jeremy?"

At the word fiancé, Ranma's face seemed to pale slightly. He seemed a little hurt and upset. Akane mentally shook herself. That wasn't possible.

She looked at Ranma for several seconds, praying that he wouldn't fight Jeremy. Jeremy was a lot of things, but a fighter definably wasn't one of them.

Ranma shocked her when he held out his hand towards Jeremy and said, "Hi, I'm Ranma. My father and I are old friends of the Tendos."

Jeremy stood next to her and walked over to Ranma, accepting his hand in friendship. "I'm Jeremy Ackerson. It's nice to meet you, Ranma. I've heard a lot about you."

Ranma's eyes flashed at Akane, sending slight shivers down her spine, before returning to Jeremy. "All good I hope."

Actually it wasn't all good. Most of the time, when she talked about Ranma, it was about the annoying things he did just to get her riled up. No one knew that he used to be her fiancé.

Akane watched as Ranma and Jeremy shook hands, waiting instinctively for Ranma to try and hurt him.

Akane waited in vain.

"I must apologize, but I have some training I must do before I begin planning tomorrow's lessons. Excuse me," Ranma said in an awfully polite voice. Never before had Akane heard Ranma speak so formally and kindly.

Ranma turned to leave when Jeremy spoke again. "What do you teach?"

"Martial Arts."

Akane's eyes turned to her father. Surely Ranma wasn't teaching in her dojo…was he?

"Could you teach me maybe?"

Akane looked back at Ranma with surprise still etched on her face. He was looking at her before he turned back and replied to Jeremy.

"I suppose," he said in that familiar cocky voice she remembered so well, "but I start at sunrise every morning, so if you are serious about this be in the dojo at 5 A.M."

"Thanks a lot," Jeremy said after Ranma left the room.

Akane looked back at her father. "Ranma is still here?"

Soun and Genma looked at each other for a second before Soun turned back to Akane. "Yes, he is still here. I saw no reason for him or his father to leave."

"Ranma didn't tell you…"

"Tell us what?"

Akane looked over at Jeremy, who was looking at her confused. She sighed before looking back at the two old men who dreams she was about to shatter. "Before I left for college two years ago, I released Ranma from our engagement."

"What!" said three voices at the same time.

Jeremy was the first to speak. "You were engaged to him?"

"A long time ago, but it wasn't my choice. Our parents arranged it and we never really considered ourselves engaged," Akane said using the same old excuses she had in the past.

"Akane…surely you can rethink this?" Soun said in a slightly pleading voice.

Akane stood and shook her head. "I'm sorry father, but I want to marry Jeremy. He's a good man and I love him. I'm sorry to you too, Mr. Saotome. I know how much you wanted me to marry your son."

Genma stood and left the room, unable to speak at all. Soun just sat there in shock at what he had just learned. Nabiki and Kuno walked over to Akane.

"I guess Jeremy can stay in my room," Nabiki said, "And I'll stay with Akane. Kuno-baby, could you show him the way."

Kuno rolled his eyes but lead the young man up the stairs, leaving the two sisters in the hall together. Nabiki turned to Akane.

"Ranma's in the dojo. I think the two of you should talk." Akane opened her mouth to speak but Nabiki raised her hand to silence her. "I'm not saying you should be engaged or that you need to speak about that, but for two years Ranma hasn't said anything about being released from the engagement. I'm sure your curious to know why, so go ask him now."

Akane narrowed her eyes at her sister before heading off to the dojo.

The walk had been uneventful and swift and soon she found herself staring into the dojo at a very busy Ranma. For a few minutes, she just stood there and watched him.

It was just as she remembered, every move graceful and precise. However, it was obvious that something was distracting Ranma, because many of his movements were slow.

Akane entered the dojo and approached the boy silently. She reached out to touch him when he suddenly leapt into the air, landed behind her, and whirled her around to face him.

For several seconds, she didn't move. She just stared into his familiar blue eyes as all her feelings for him threatened to surface. Akane pushed them down and spoke. "Ranma?"

He released her quickly, almost like she was electricity burning his hands. "Akane, what are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question. Where are Ukyo, Kodachi, and Shampoo?"

Ranma sighed and rubbed the back of his head. He looked rather attractive when he did that. Akane mentally shook her head to remove such a thought and listened as he spoke.

"Ukyo and Ryoga recently got married and haven't returned from their honeymoon." Akane smiled slightly at the thought. "Kodachi moved to live with her grandmother out of town," Akane let out a mental cheer at that, "and Shampoo returned to China with Mousse, her new husband." Akane nodded, glad that everyone has been doing so well.

"A lot has changed."

"Yeah, an awful lot has changed."

Akane looked up into Ranma's sad face. For a second there it seemed he was staring at the ring on her finger, but before she could figure it out, he was looking at her like nothing had changed at all.

"How has school been going? Your letters all say that everything was fine, but I…"

"You read my letters?" Akane asked suddenly, quite surprised. "The ones I wrote to my family?"

Ranma nodded. "We sit around and read them together."

Akane looked down at her ring and began to fiddle with it. It was something she often did when she was nervous or confused. She still didn't understand why both Ranma and his father still lived in her house and why no one knew that the engagement was off.

"Ranma, I thought I told you that you were released from our engagement. Why are you running the dojo instead of my father?"

With a biting voice Ranma replied, " Because, he still considers me his son."

Akane looked up at him confused. "But, didn't you tell them…"

"Tell them what Akane?" Ranma interrupted with anger clearly displayed upon his face. "Tell him that his youngest daughter dropped her chosen fiancé and ran off to America thinking that everything would be cool because said ex-fiance would just tell them the bad news for her now that she was too far away to do anything about it? I'm sorry Akane, but I was not about to break the poor man's heart."

Anger flowed through Akane and shone through her eyes. "I was planning on writing to them about all this afterwards, but I assumed that you would tell them yourself. You always did seem so eager to get rid of me after all."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Memories of Akane always being pushed aside, of Ranma being chased by other women, of Ranma never choosing, of Ranma only agreeing to be with her when he didn't want to be around someone else. They all came flowing back to her in a matter of seconds, helping to fuel her already raging anger.

"Every time we were alone, we would claim we couldn't really be engaged because it was something our parents arranged, yet whenever we didn't want to be around someone else or a situation arose where one of us, usually me, could actually be happy. The other would bring up the whole 'fiance' thing and then neither of us were happy."

Ranma sighed. "You're right."

"And another thing…" Akane stopped as Ranma's words hit her. "Wait, what?"

"I said 'you're right.'"

Akane was in shock. Never in all her years of knowing Ranma had he ever agreed with her. Never had they ended a conversation like this. Usually they were both so arrogant and stubborn that they stomp away from the conversation still believing the other was wrong. Akane looked at Ranma, who physically hadn't changed in the two years they had been separated, and realized that he had matured in those two years.

"I better get to bed," Ranma said. "If your fiancé wants to be trained tomorrow then I have to wake up extra early to get in my early morning routines before teaching him and my other students."

Akane watched as he turned to leave. He was at the doors to the dojo when he stopped and turned back to her, a friendly smile upon his face. "It's good to have you back Akane," he said before walking out.

Akane stood there for several minutes going over the conversation with Ranma. Something had changed and, while refreshing, was also rather unnerving. She wanted to be able to argue with the old Ranma again, the one she had…

Akane shook her head before leaving the dojo. She had a great guy now, and it was no use dwelling in the past.

Akane spent the next several weeks planning her wedding to Jeremy. It was a long and tedious affair, but it had to be done.

Nabiki and Kasumi were glad to help, although Akane was sure that Nabiki had other plans up her sleeve.

About three days before the wedding, Akane was standing in her room in her new wedding dress. She was looking at herself in the mirror and thinking about the wedding that was about to occur when Nabiki came rushing into the room.

Akane turned to her with confusion in her eyes. Nabiki shut the door behind her and turned to her sister.

"Akane, I just heard something that I think you should hear. It's about Ranma…"

Akane rolled her eyes and turned back to the mirror. "Really, Nabiki. I am about to be a married woman in just a few days and I don't care to hear about the exploits of my ex-fiance. He can do what he wants. He is a free man after all."

"That's just it Akane, he…"

Akane turned back to her sister. "Nabiki, I'm serious. I don't care who Ranma is seeing, dating, pining for, begging for, wishing for, engaged to, marrying, or anything else you may come up with." She turned back to the mirror. "Ranma is not my responsibility anymore."

Nabiki just stood there for several seconds before getting between her sister and the mirror. Normally Nabiki wouldn't care about actions of others, but she this time she had to interfere.

"I don't care whether you want to hear this or not, but I believe that this is something you don't know and I also believe that it is very important that you do know."

Akane sighed and rolled her eyes before looking at her sister. She decided to indulge her since her mind was already made up. Nothing Nabiki said could changed that.

"Ranma is in love with you."

Akane's face didn't change, but inside it felt like everything had stopped. She could feel herself breathing, but it was like she couldn't breath.

"You're lying," she said firmly.

"No, I just heard him talking to Jeremy about it. He's in love with you, that's why he won't fight Jeremy."

Akane stepped back from her sister and crossed her arms across her chest in an attempt to shield herself from the words she wanted to hear two years ago.

The words she wanted to hear Ranma say two years ago.

"It doesn't matter," Akane said firmly. Nabiki took a few steps forward.

"How can you say it doesn't matter? You loved him two years ago and now your telling me that…"

"I love Jeremy," she said firmly. "Ranma is nothing more to me than an old friend. That is all he will ever be to me."

Nabiki looked at her sister with sad eyes before walking over to the door. "I hope that you're right, otherwise you'll be very unhappy." With that Nabiki turned and left the room, shutting the door behind her.

Akane sat on her bed and took several deep breaths. Could he be in love with her? Akane shook her head.

"No," she said to herself. "I won't do this. I won't throw everything away for someone who will want me today but throw me away tomorrow."

Akane stood and looked out her window. There in the garden was Ranma, current object of her thoughts, going though some training motions. It seemed as though he was always training since she arrived here, and it made her think about Nabiki's words some more.

The day of the wedding arrived and Akane couldn't be more nervous. The last two days had been hell on her nerves and her state of mind. Nabiki's words kept repeating themselves through her head and as she stood there in the room waiting to walk down the aisle in her wedding dress. The words continued to haunt her.

Suddenly the door opened and Akane turned to face her sister, Kasumi. "Are you ready Akane?"

Akane smiled at her older sister. "I think so, but I'm so nervous."

Kasumi smiled as she began to fluff Akane's dress. "Don't worry. It's your special day and nothing is going to ruin it."

Akane smiled and looked at herself in the mirror. "I just hope it isn't awkward."

"Awkward?"

Akane nodded. "You know, with Ranma being in attendance and all."

"Didn't father tell you?"

Akane turned her head and looked at her sister. "Tell me what?"

"Ranma's not coming." Akane felt like her heart was being ripped out, but she didn't know why. "Ranma decided that it would be better for everyone if he just stayed at the dojo and finished up the class for today instead of canceling."

Akane nodded at the excuse. She couldn't believe that Ranma would miss her wedding. Kasumi finished fluffing the dress and stood.

"You look so beautiful Akane, and I know that you are going to be happy."

Akane nodded as Kasumi once again left her to her thoughts. Moments later her father entered and the two left the room.

She always thought her father would be crying as he walked her down the aisle, but as he handed her over to Jeremy, there was not a single tear in his eyes. Everyone sat as Akane and Jeremy turned to the priest and begin the ceremony.

"We are gathered here today to witness the union of Akane Tendo and Jeremy Ackerson. Marriage is a sacred union…"

Akane blocked out the priest as her mind began to wander to Ranma. Ever since she had come home and seen him, something in her had changed. Maybe, changed is the wrong word. When she saw him she felt like she was home. Why did she feel that way?

"Do you, Jeremy Ackerson, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?"

Akane looked up into Jeremy's eyes as he answered. "I do."

"And do you, Akane Tendo, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?"

Akane opened her mouth to respond, but found she couldn't utter the words. Something was stopping her, keeping her from saying the words.

That something was Ranma.

In that instant, Akane realized that she was still in love with Ranma.

"I…can't."

Jeremy looked at her confused for several seconds.

"I'm sorry, Jeremy. I can't marry you. I'm still…"

Jeremy raised a hand and nodded. "It's okay, I understand."

Akane smiled before wrapping her arms around him in a friendly hug. "Thank you for understanding," she said before taking off her veil, dropping her flowers, removing the engagement ring, and leaving the church.

Akane rushed into her home, looking desperately for Ranma. He said that he would be here, and she just had to find him. She went from room to room before remembering that his class let out not to long ago and he would still be in the dojo.

She walked nervously towards the dojo doors. How would he respond to her, would he accept her or just push her away?

She opened the door and stepped into the almost empty dojo. There was Ranma, still sweaty from the day's activities, wearing only a pair of black pants.

"I'm sorry, but classes are over for the day. Come back tomorrow," he said calmly. Akane smiled slightly at the fact that he didn't know it was her.

"Ranma?"

He turned and looked at her as if he had never seen her before. "Akane? What….what are you doing here? Where's Jeremy?"

Akane took a couple steps forward, her nervousness returning to her now that Ranma was staring at her. "Ranma, why didn't you come to the wedding?"

He gave her a confused look before shaking his head and looking at her. "What are you talking about? I told your father why I couldn't attend. The dojo would…"

"I know that reasons you gave my father," Akane said firmly, "but I have to know for myself. Why didn't you attend my wedding today?"

Ranma looked away from her, almost like the sight of her was physically hurting him. "I didn't go because…I…didn't, no, couldn't watch you marry another man, even one as honest as Jeremy."

Akane walked towards him, but he just turned away from her. "Ranma, why?"

"Shouldn't you be getting back to your husband?" he said in a biting voice.

"Please, Ranma," she said firmly, "I have to know…"

He turned to her, anger shining through his eyes. Akane was in shock at the look in them.

"Know what Akane? Know that for two years you have been constantly in my thoughts? Know that when I saw you sitting there with Jeremy for the first time in two years that my heart felt like it had been ripped out? Know that I couldn't attend your wedding because I loved you too much to go and watch another take you away? Know that everything I did was for your happiness? What exactly do you want to know Akane?"

Akane felt her heart soar. Nabiki was right; Ranma was in love with her. With a slight smile she held up her now ring-less hands and watched as Ranma's eyes widened.

"I realized something today," she said before lowering her hands. "I realized something when I was standing at the alter saying my vows. I realized that I was saying those vows to the wrong man. Sure he was kind, honest, and good-looking, but he wasn't the man I was supposed to marry. He wasn't you, Ranma."

For several seconds Ranma said nothing, he just stared at her. Finally Akane could take it no longer and wrapped her arms around him, pressing herself to his body.

"I love you, Ranma."

Moments later Akane felt Ranma's arms wrap around her body and she felt safe and at home.

"I hope this isn't a dream," he said. With a slight smirk Akane stomped on his foot, causing him to release her and grab his foot. He fell to the ground holding the injured foot when she came over and sat across from him, a smile wide on her face.

"Definably not a dream then." Ranma looked up at her smiling face and then smiled back. He pulled her into his lap and Akane felt at home.

"Good," he said, "because I love you too Akane, and I plan on never letting you go again."

The last thought Akane had before Ranma's lips covered hers was that she owed Nabiki an apology. She was only trying to help, and it wasn't like she was getting anything out of the deal anyways.


End file.
